Saint Arsenije Sremac Church, Whitby

Saint Arsenije Sremac Church

Address: 508 Byron Street South, Whitby, ON

Phone: 905 668 2676

Website: www.starsenijesremac.com

Priest: Fr. Milos Puric

Email: miskopurke@yahoo.com

Phone number: 647 978-0405; home: 416 261-5249

Fr. Milos was born on May 4, 1980 in Nova Varos, in a working-class family of father Milojko and mother Milica, née Marinovic. He completed primary school in his hometown in 1995, after which, with the blessing of the Bishop of Canada Georgije, he enrolled in the Theological Seminary of Saint Peter of Cetinje in Cetinje, Montenegro, which he graduated in 2000. He graduated from the Faculty of Theology in Belgrade in 2005. In October of the same year, he entered the holy sacrament of marriage with Natasa, née Stojic. Bishop Georgije ordained him to the diaconate on December 18, 2005, in the Saint Nicholas Church in Hamilton, and three months later, on March 12, 2006, he ordained him to the priesthood in the All Serbian Saints Church in Mississauga. From April 1, 2006 to September 1, 2010, he served in Vancouver at the Saint Sava Church. From September 1, 2010, he served in Toronto at the Saint Sava Church as the fourth parish priest of Toronto. He served in Toronto until January 1, 2018, when he was appointed the new parish priest at the Saint Arsenije Sremac Church in Whitby. He was awarded the right to wear the red sash on February 8, 2010 at the Saint Sava Church in Edmonton at the Diocesan Assembly. He was awarded the rank of protonamesnik on the feast of the Holy Three Hierarchs on February 12, 2012 at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton. Bishop of Canada, Dr. Mitrofan, ordained him to the rank of protopresbyter on November 12, 2023. He is the father of a son, Bogdan.

History

The Church and School Congregation of Saint Arsenije of Srem consists of one parish that encompasses the far eastern parts of the Greater Toronto Area: Scarborough, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington, Peterborough, Cobourg, and Belleville all the way to Kingston.

Back in December 1969, the Bishop of Eastern America and Canada, Dr. Sava, at the request of several residents of the city of Oshawa, gave his blessing for the establishment of a Church and School Congregation that would bear the name of Saint Arsenije of Srem. A few enthusiastic Serbs tried to form the community's membership and already in the following year, 1970, they had nine regular members who, according to their capabilities, tried to realize this beautifully conceived work. Since there was no way to support a permanent priest, missionary priests came from time to time to celebrate the Holy Liturgy in a rented Greek church and perform the necessary rites. This went on until the eighties, when this Church and School Congregation was finally closed down and, with its insignificant property, was merged with the Church and School Congregation of Saint Sava in Toronto.

With the establishment of the Diocese of Canada and the appointment of its first bishop, Bishop Georgije, the renewal of church life in Oshawa was once again considered. According to the regulations of the constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada, it was necessary to collect at least 40 signatures with a request to establish a parish. Serbs from Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Markham and Scarborough did just that. A letter with 72 signatures requesting the renewal of the Church and School Congregation of Saint Arsenije of Srem arrived at the diocese. At the annual Diocesan Assembly in Hamilton, on February 5, 1993, approval was given to establish the Church and School Congregation of Saint Arsenije of Srem within the boundaries of the aforementioned cities with the addition of smaller towns to the east, all the way to the city of Kingston. On the same day, the Diocesan Council and the Ecclesiastical Court of the Diocese of Canada made a decision to officially establish this Church and School Congregation. Bishop Georgije, by virtue of his authority, appointed the first parish priest to serve this parish: Fr. Vasilije Tomic, parish priest of East Toronto. An assembly of registered members was also constituted, and Rade Milanovic was elected president of the Church and School Congregation. Prvoslav Vujcic was elected vice-president and secretary. Vujcic wrote the Church and School Congregation regulations and, through his efforts, the church was preserved by the Town of Whitby as a heritage building.

The great benefactors of the church were Dane Orlic, Branko Popadic, Djuradj Kesic, Zivorad Radonjic, Bora Nikolic, Jevrem Simeunovic, Uros Brkljac, Zivan Markovic, Djordje Tubic, Rade Milanovic, Ranka Matejic, Ivan Uveric and Danica Tesic (now Dzelebdzic).

Immediately after the establishment of the Church and School Congregation, it was decided to purchase the Presbyterian church in Whitby, built in 1859. In early May 1993, the church was purchased for $285,000 and ownership of it was taken over on June 11, 1993. Immediately after the purchase of the church in Whitby, the administration asked Bishop Georgije of Canada to appoint a permanent priest to this parish. By decree of September 8, 1993, Bishop Georgije of Canada appointed Fr. Milutin Veljko, until then the parish priest of Ottawa, as the first parish priest of this newly established parish of Oshawa–Scarborough. Father Milutin assumed the duties of parish priest on October 1, and on October 9, the consecration of the church was performed by Bishop Georgije. Before the consecration, the church was redecorated for Orthodox use by the members of the administration. Upon the arrival of the priest, an iconostasis was made, painted by icon painter Dragomir "Dragan" Marunic. Two wonderful choir stands, candle stands, a stand for icons in the nave of the church, an altar, a proskomidia in the altar, and a shop for candles and church items was arranged at the entrance. Later, from the contributions of the faithful, everything else needed for an Orthodox church was purchased. With the hierarchical blessing of Bishop Georgije, the Parohijsko pismo (Parochial Letter), the church’s bulletin, began to be published.

Necessary work was carried out on the outside of the old church building: the roof was replaced, the dilapidated tower was repaired, the parking lot was paved, and a new fence was installed around the church. The basement of the church was found neglected and unusable. Thanks to the efforts of the first president, Rade Milanovic, the basement was converted into a beautiful hall that can accommodate about 200 souls. Equipped with a kitchen and a bar, the hall today serves all the needs of the church community. Banquets and ceremonies are held there, as well as folklore rehearsals and church school classes.

The Church and School Congregation now brings together about 200 Serbian Orthodox families. The Church and School Congregation includes the Mala Gospojina Circle of Serbian Sisters, the Sumadija folklore group, and a school for Serbian language and religious education. The church choir was founded in 2004 by parishioners Svetozar Jovanovic and Lepa Jankovic, with the primary goal of responding during the Sunday Liturgy. The bell tower (dome) was renovated and consecrated on July 15, 2012. On the eve of the feast of the Holy Three Hierarchs, on February 11, 2016, the parishioners of the church were honoured with a visit from the Serbian Patriarch Irinej, who consecrated the icon of the patron saint of the church, made on canvas, which stands above the entrance door to the church nave. In September 2018, new chandeliers were installed in the church. Through the initiative of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, funds were raised for the construction of a woodcut Tomb of Christ, which was installed and consecrated in February 2025.

Priests

From 1993 to 2010, the parish was served by Fr. Milutin Veljko. From 2010 to 2018, the parish was served by Fr. Milovan Sredojevic. Since January 1, 2018, the parish priest of this church has been Fr. Milos Puric.